The removal of the staves, the absence of Aaron's rod and the manna -- the ark at rest

The circumstances which revealed the character of this rest
were remarkable. The staves, with which the priests had borne the
ark, were now the memorial of their journeys with God, who, in His
faithfulness, had led and preserved them, and brought them into
the rest which He had prepared for them. But that which, in the
passage through the wilderness, had been the token of their means
of grace, was no longer in it: nothing but the law remained
there. Aaron's rod and the pot of manna would not have been in
harmony with the glorious reign and the rest of Canaan. The law
was there; it was the basis of the administration of the kingdom,
and the rule of that righteousness which was to be exercised in
it.

The ark at rest, Jehovah's presence hallows the house

The ark of the covenant once set in its place of rest, Jehovah
comes and seals it with His presence, and fills the house with His
glory. As the rod, the emblem of the priestly grace which had led
the people, and the manna, which had fed them in the wilderness,
were no longer there, so did the priesthood no longer exercise its
ministry on account of the presence of the glory.

Solomon as King-Priest

For the moment Solomon fully assumes the character of
priest. It is he who stands before Jehovah, as well as between
Jehovah and the people -- a remarkable type, as to his position,
of what Christ as King will be for Israel in the day of His
glory. He has built a house for Jehovah to dwell in a fixed
habitation -- that He may dwell in it for ever. Remark here also
that all refers to the deliverance out of Egypt, to Horeb, to the
law, and not to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. It was doubtless,
up to a certain point (and fully so, typically), the fulfilment of
the promises made to them; but Solomon does not refer to them as
to his present position. This is seen in verse 56.

Solomon's blessing and prayer

In examining the blessing pronounced by the king (which, like
almost all that is termed blessing, consisted of thanksgiving),
and his prayer, we shall again find the same principles that we
pointed out at first -- the fulfilment of the promises made to
David as present blessing (vers. 20-24); but the enjoyment of this
blessing granted under condition of obedience (vers. 23-25). The
prayer sets the people under the terms of a righteous government,
abounding indeed in kindness and forgiveness, yet one which will
not hold the guilty to be innocent; and it presents God as the
people's resource, when the consequences of their sin fall upon
them according to the principles laid down by Moses in Deuteronomy
and elsewhere. Moreover, while confessing that the heaven of
heavens could not contain Jehovah, the king entreats Him to grant
every prayer that should be addressed to Him in this house -- a
petition which was granted (chap. 9: 3), so that the house was
established as the throne of the God of heaven upon earth -- the
place in which He revealed Himself, and in which He had put His
name. This fact has a very wide bearing. It was the establishment
of Jehovah's government upon the earth in the midst of His people
-- a government entrusted to a man, the son of David; so that it
is said that Solomon sat upon the throne of Jehovah. This enables
us to understand the importance of the events which took place
under Nebuchadnezzar, by whom this throne was cast down, according
to the judgment pronounced by God Himself. The house was not
elect; but, built under God's own direction, it was hallowed by
Himself, that His name might dwell there for ever. The close of
chapter 8 gives a very lively figure of Israel's millennial
blessing.